Lord Nityananda's Mercy

by Jayapataka Swami

A devotee was distributing books on the street in Toronto, Canada, and he met a man of Indian descent, an immigrant from the Caribbean. The man was a welder in a big company. He liked to drink, and the devotee had stopped him on his way to the pub. The devotee offered him a Bhagavad Gita, but the man said, "No, no, I don't need this. I know this culture. My grandfather was a brahmana."

It was the usual story, and he didn't take the book. Later, on after visiting a few pubs and sufficiently lubricating himself with alcohol, the man happened to meet the same devotee again. "My dear sir," the devotee said, "I plead with you, I beg you, please, this is your culture. Take this Bhagavad Gita. It will be very good for you.''

The Indian felt proud, "I'm just an immigrant in this country," he thought, "but here is this white Canadian and he's begging me, he's pleading with me to please take his book. So, okay, why not?'' He gave a donation and took the Bhagavad Gita.

A few days later, when he was sober he noticed the Bhagavad Gita on the table in his home. "What is this book doing here?'' he thought. He vaguely remembered something, but then he started to read the Bhagavad Gita and it dawned on him that this was a wonderful book. He could understand what Prabhupada was saying, and he became attracted and wanted to find out what Krishna Consciousness is all about.

It said in the back to "come and visit the temple,'' so he looked up the address of the Toronto temple. He went to the temple, and when he arrived, there was a huge festival with hundreds of devotees, big kirtan, and prasadam. It was the appearance day of Lord Nityananda.

He was dragged into the kirtan, he started to chant and dance in ecstasy, and he became a devotee right there and then. Now he is a congregational member of ISKCON. So, by the mercy of Lord Nityananda even the most fallen are delivered. People who are drunks, woman hunters, people of the lowest class, like Jagai and Madhai—they can all be delivered.

CHAKRA 9-Apr-98